


Perfect

by blk0912



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: Barsonoah, F/M, Family Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-21
Updated: 2020-06-21
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:02:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,735
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24832798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/blk0912/pseuds/blk0912
Summary: (Another) fix to Gone Baby Gone. Where Rafael is there with Olivia during the whole ordeal with Sheila, and what happens in their relationship because of it.
Relationships: Noah Porter Benson & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba & Noah Porter Benson, Rafael Barba & Olivia Benson, Rafael Barba/Olivia Benson, Rita Calhoun/Odafin "Fin" Tutuola
Comments: 16
Kudos: 69





	Perfect

**Author's Note:**

> I wasn't originally planning on writing another fix to Gone Baby Gone, but this idea popped into my head and wouldn't go away until I wrote it. So here it is.   
> For those waiting on the next chapters of Trivia Night and At Last, I promise they are in the works. I'm still working some things out in my head for them. But I promise I didn't forget about them :)  
> Anyway, hope you all enjoy and, as always, comments are welcome :)

* * *

Sitting on the couch next to Fin, Olivia watched Amanda, Jesse, and Sonny play Legos with Noah. There was someone missing, but she knew he was on his way. He had insisted on going with her to Connecticut, and had been with her when they found Noah. Once they were back in New York, he had stayed with them at her apartment until Fin arrived. It was only then that he’d left to go back home to change clothes. She immediately missed him.

“You doin’ okay, Liv?” Fin asked, breaking her out of her thoughts.

Olivia sighed. “I’m just relieved Noah is safe and back home with me.”

“Are you going to take some time?”

“Yes. I already talked to Dodds. Rafa made me.”

“He’s a good guy.”

“The best.”

“You deserve the best. You and Noah.”

Olivia turned her head to look at her long-time friend in surprise. Fin simply smiled.

“I’ve known you a long time, Liv. Almost as long as I’ve been a detective. But it doesn’t take a detective’s shield to notice the way you two have been drawn to each other from the start. He’s your partner,” he told her.

“He couldn’t possibly…”

“He _does_ , trust me.”

Olivia opened her mouth to ask Fin to expand on his earlier statement, but was stopped by the sound of a knock at the door.

* * *

Standing outside of Olivia’s apartment, Rafael raised his hand to knock on the door. Unlike his last few visits, Olivia hadn’t told him the door was unlocked and he could come in when he arrived. He still disliked the lack of security her building had, especially since Sheila Porter’s appearance in her life, but hadn’t voiced his thoughts out loud. He wanted Olivia and Noah with him, at his place. He had a doorman and secured entrance.

“Hi.”

Rafael was broken out of his thoughts by the sound of Olivia’s voice.

“Hi,” he replied, smiling at her. Tilting his head slightly, he searched her face for a sign of what she was feeling.

“I’m glad you came back,” she said, surprising him by closing the door lightly behind her and stepping close to wrap her arms around his neck, burying her face in his shoulder.

Sliding one hand around her hip to her back, he pulled her close as his other hand came up to rest on the back of her head and then began to stroke over her hair.

“Livia, _cariño_ , what’s wrong?” he asked, immediately concerned.

Olivia smiled a little at the two new nicknames. Well, he’d called her Livia earlier, while they were waiting for Fin, but she wasn’t sure he was completely aware that he did it. _Cariño_ was definitely new, though.

“I was so scared, Rafa,” she said, lifting her head and looking into his eyes. “I was trying to tell myself that we’d find him, but I honestly wasn’t sure. Especially when I thought a stranger had taken him.”

“I know. We were all scared, Livia. But he’s back now, and he’s safe.”

“You don’t sound entirely convinced of that last part.”

Rafael sent her a half-smile. “That’s not a discussion we need to be having right now.”

Olivia returned his smile, somewhat shyly. “…what if I want to?”

Rafael tilted his head as he regarded her carefully.

“You’ve hardly left my side for the last forty-eight hours…and I guess it, the whole situation, I guess, made me realize that I…” Olivia trailed off, trying to find the right words. Then she smiled as she thought of Fin’s words to her earlier. “You’re my best friend…my partner. You’re the one I want beside me at work _and_ at home. _Te amo._ ”

Rafael searched her eyes. “Livia… _también te amo_ ” he said softly, moving the hand that had been stroking her hair to cup her cheek.

Lifting one hand from Rafael’s shoulder to the back of his neck, Olivia pulled him close and pressed her lips to his. Tightening his arm around Olivia, Rafael returned the kiss.

* * *

“Where did Liv go?” Amanda asked, looking around and realizing her friend had been gone for longer than she thought was necessary to answer the door.

“Really, Manda, you need to ask that?” Sonny asked with a laugh.

“She’s with Rafa,” Noah added with a shrug of his shoulders. His mom and Rafael had been spending a lot more time together the last few months and he liked it when they were together.

“Just leave ‘em be,” Fin told her.

“Mommy, you stopped,” Jesse said, noticing her mother holding a Lego in her hand but not doing anything with it.

“Sorry, baby,” Amanda replied, turning her attention back to the colorful pieces of Lego on the table.

* * *

“We should go in,” Rafael said reluctantly a few minutes later as he rested his forehead against Olivia’s.

Olivia brushed her lips with again before taking his hand and turning to lead him into the apartment. Following closely behind Olivia, Rafael adjusted his hand in hers so he could lace their fingers together.

“Rafa!” Noah exclaimed excitedly when he saw the older man, jumping up and running towards him.

“ _Amigo_ ,” Rafael said with a smile, letting go of Olivia’s hand so he could scoop the boy up in his arms and hug him tightly.

Smiling at the two, Olivia laid on hand on Rafael’s arm and the other on Noah’s back as she leaned over and pressed a kiss to his head.

“Will you play Lego with me?” Noah asked Rafael.

“Of course,” Rafael replied, setting Noah on his feet and letting him lead him over to the coffee table.

“Tell him about the deer,” Fin encouraged.

“There were two deer! They walked right in front of us!” Noah told Rafael.

“Right in front of you? That’s jaywalking!” Rafael replied in mock outrage, making the little boy giggle. “They’re lucky they weren’t in New York.”

* * *

Reclaiming her seat on the couch next to Fin, she smiled as Sonny moved closer to Amanda so Noah and Rafael could kneel next to each other and then rolled her eyes in amusement at Rafael’s jaywalking remark.

“It’s good to hear him laugh again,” Fin observed, reading her thoughts.

“It is,” Olivia agreed. “Thank you for everything, Fin. I mean it.”

“We’re family, Liv. I hope you don’t mind, but I told Amaro what happened. He might be across the country now, but he’s still family. He called to chat and we were kind of in the middle of everything.”

“I don’t mind,” Olivia replied. “How’s he doing?”

“Good. Said he’s plannin’ a trip out here soon. He wants to bring both kids. I called him back on the way here and let him know Noah was safe and sound now. He said he was happy to hear that and wants you to know he would have helped if he were here, even if was no longer with the NYPD.”

“I know. I’ll call him tomorrow.”

After a few moments of silence, Fin spoke again, quietly so Noah couldn’t hear them. Though he doubted the boy, who was currently engrossed in Lego building, was even paying attention.

“You need to find a new place to live. Somewhere with better security. And you need to find a new lawyer for Noah. Hopefully nothing else comes up, but Barba is right, Langan is incompetent.”

Olivia smirked at her friend. “Rafa tells me that you might know someone who can help with that last part. A certain defense attorney who also knows a thing or two about family law?”

At Fin’s surprised look, Olivia smiled. “Go ahead and invite her over, Fin. But I’ll keep your other suggestion in mind, too.”

* * *

Nearly an hour later, Rita found herself standing outside of Olivia’s apartment, not entirely sure what she was going to say to anyone on the other side of the door. Fin had told her that Olivia had assured him it was okay to invite her over, and truthfully, when she had heard what happened to Noah, she’d found that she was worried about the little boy who meant so much to not only her long-time friend but also to the man she had recently figured out she loved. Taking a deep breath, she raised her hand to knock on the door.

“Hello, Rita,” Olivia said with a smile as she answered the door a few moments later. “Come in.”

“Thank you,” Rita replied, following the other woman inside the apartment.

Letting Rita take the seat on the couch next to Fin, Olivia opted to join her boys in their Lego building. Kneeling next to Rafael, she smiled she felt him curl an arm around her waist and pull her close, pressing a kiss to her temple. Closing her eyes, she leaned into his touch for a moment. When she opened them, she saw Sonny, Amanda, Fin, and Rita all looking at them with curiosity. Olivia simply smiled and shrugged before turning her attention back to the Lego creation on the table.

* * *

A couple of hours later, after ordering pizza and hanging out for a while longer, Amanda had said that she should get Jesse home and Sonny had volunteered to go with them. Olivia had suspected for a while that something was going on between her two detectives, but she wasn’t going to push unless it became an issue. When she returned to work, she might drop some hints about disclosure, though.

“Rita, can I get you something to drink? Water? Wine? Beer?” Olivia asked. When she knew Rafael could hear her, she offered another option. “Or scotch?”

“Rita doesn’t drink scotch,” Rafael told her as he tossed the last of the paper plates into the garbage.

“Maybe I should take a glass of it just to spite you,” Rita returned, eliciting laughter from both Olivia and Fin. Rafael simply rolled his eyes.

“You don’t even _like_ scotch. It would be a waste of a perfectly good drink,” he replied.

Turning back to Olivia, Rita regarded her with a smile. “Wine would be great, thank you.”

Olivia returned her smile and nodded, pouring a second wine glass as Rafael retrieved a beer for Fin from the fridge and then poured himself a glass of scotch.

“Rafa, will you read to me?” Noah asked a few minutes later, having returned from brushing his teeth.

Rafael eyed his young friend’s clothing. The boy had been instructed to change into his pajamas in addition to brushing his teeth, but he hadn’t done so.

“I believe there was another request that hasn’t been fulfilled, _amigo_ ,” he said with a raised eyebrow.

“Man,” Noah said as he turned and walked towards his room, clearly disappointed Rafael had caught onto him.

Rita watched the exchange with intrigue. She’d rarely seen her friend really interact with kids before. In the court room, sure, but outside of it, it was rare. Most of their friends from Harvard were career-focused and didn’t have kids. Or, if they did, they flaunted their money by sending their kids to the most expensive schools in the city, something Rafael disliked. While he had nothing against kids getting the best education that could be provided for them, he didn’t like the entitled attitude that often came with those more expensive institutions. As someone who worked hard for everything he had, it rubbed him the wrong way.

“ _Now_ will you read to me?” the little boy asked, returning dressed in his pajamas.

“Say goodnight to your mami, Uncle Fin, and Rita, and then I will read you one story.”

Noah smiled and nodded, hugging his mother and Fin before turning to Rita.

“Goodnight,” he said politely.

“Goodnight,” she replied.

Turning back to Rafael, Noah smiled when he picked him up again. Feeling sleepy, he laid his head on his shoulder as he walked them towards his room.

* * *

Watching Rafael and Noah, Rita turned to her newest friend. “They do that often?”

Olivia smiled and nodded. “More often than not lately, actually. Rafael is Noah’s favorite storyteller.”

“So they’re close?”

Olivia nodded again. “Very.”

“Trust me, when either Liv or Barba is in the room, none of the rest of us exist,” Fin told his girlfriend with a laugh.

Rita was more intrigued by the minute. “You and Rafael are close as well.”

“I love him,” Olivia said simply. “He loves me back. He’s my partner. In all things.”

“Do you want him to be Noah’s father?”

“Rita,” Fin began, but was cut off by Olivia holding up her hand.

“Rafael is her friend and she’s just looking out for him,” she said before turning her attention back to the other woman. “If that’s something that both Rafael and Noah want, then I have no objections. However, Noah and I are a package deal, and Rafael understands that. If Noah wasn’t comfortable with him, then I wouldn’t be with him.”

Rita had to admit she was impressed. Fin spoke highly of the other woman, and she knew from their interactions over the years that she was a force to be reckoned with at work, but Rafael was her friend and she felt the need to look out for him. She’d known he was in love with the police lieutenant for a while now and knew the woman could easily break his heart, and that wasn’t something she wanted to see happen. She wanted Rafael to be happy, to have someone in his life who would love him and care for him, who would see beyond the fancy suits and big, brass ego to the big heart he kept locked away beneath them.

“I’m curious, why does Noah call Rafael ‘Rafa’ but Fin and Sonny are ‘ _Uncle_ Fin’ and ‘ _Uncle_ Sonny’?” she asked a few moments later.

Olivia took a sip of her wine and shrugged.

“Honestly, I’m not sure. Noah dropped the ‘uncle’ moniker from Rafael’s name a few months ago. He just did it one day and Rafael didn’t object to it, so that’s what he’s been calling him ever since.”

“What didn’t I object to?” Rafael asked as he returned to the kitchen.

“Noah calling you ‘Rafa’ instead of ‘Uncle Rafa’,” Olivia explained. “Rita was curious why your name didn’t have ‘uncle’ in front of it like Fin’s and Sonny’s.”

“Ah.”

“Is Noah asleep?”

Rafael nodded. “Cuddling tight to Eddie.”

“Who’s Eddie?” Rita wondered.

“His stuffed elephant,” Olivia replied. “Rafael got it for Noah when I started fostering him.”

Rita smirked at her friend, who rolled his eyes at her in response.

“Go check on him,” Rafael said to Olivia. “I know you want to.”

Olivia smiled at him gratefully, leaning forward to brush her lips with his before running a hand down his arm and walking out of the kitchen.

* * *

“Liv and Noah need to move somewhere with better security,” Fin said to Rafael once Olivia was out of earshot.

“I know. Trust me, we’ve talked about it. But not since shortly after Sheila Porter appeared at her door.”

Rita caught the way Rafael said Sheila’s name with near disgust. Clearly, he never thought highly of the woman.

“If I’d had my way, the woman never would have laid eyes on Noah,” he added before taking a sip of his scotch.

“I still don’t understand how this happened,” Rita said. “I mean, I understand _how_ it happened, I guess, but not _why_. Why wasn’t this Porter girl’s story vetted?”

“Liv assumed that Langan had done his job,” Rafael answered, taking another sip of his scotch. “Which he didn’t because he’s _incompetente_.”

Rita raised an eyebrow at the Spanish word. She’d known since shortly after she met the man that he was bilingual, but if he wasn’t with his mother or grandmother, or someone else who spoke the language, he usually didn’t slip into Spanish unless his emotions were running high. While she knew that he was in love with Olivia, she hadn’t known until now just how much he also loved her little boy.

“Incompetent?” she guessed. At Rafael’s nod, she continued speaking. “So he just took her for her word? What kind of lawyer is he?”

“Not one I trust to be the best representative for Noah if he needs it in the future. If this had happened earlier, while Liv was fostering him or shortly after she adopted him, he could have _actually_ been taken away from her. And that would have broken her heart. They had a year to find out if there were any living relatives and his excuse was ‘Do you know how many Porters there are in New York?’ _Patético_.”

“You’re going to have to translate that one for me.”

“It means ‘pathetic’,” Olivia answered as she walked back into the kitchen. “I assume you’re talking about Langan?”

“You speak Spanish?” Rita asked in surprise.

“She speaks multiple languages,” Rafael replied, sliding an arm around Olivia’s waist to pull her close. “ _Mi mujer inteligente_.”

Olivia smiled at Rafael’s praise and at him referring to her as his.

Rita smiled at them both before she spoke again. “I’m sorry if this sounds like I’m overstepping as Olivia really know me that well, but you’re both aware that I know a thing or two about family law. I’d be happy to help you with anything in the future. Represent Noah if he needs it.”

Olivia exchanged a look with Rafael before turning back to the other woman. “I’d like that, thank you. Rafael trusts you and so does Fin, and those are two of the best recommendations I could ask for.”

* * *

“So, does Liv past the test?” Fin teased as he and Rita left Olivia’s.

“She clearly loves Rafael,” Rita answered. “And I like her. So, yes, she passes the test.”

“Good.”

Rita smiled at Fin’s response. Although he’d never admit it, she knew he’d been nervous for her to get to know Olivia better. She was one of the most important people in his life and he wanted them to get along.

“It was nice of you to offer your help if she needs it in the future,” Fin added.

Rita shrugged. “Rafael is right about Langan. He tends to not do more work than he has to. Especially in his pro bono work. Rafael would crush him in court.”

Fin laughed. “I’d kind of like to see that.”

Rita joined in his laughter as she pictured the smirk that would surely appear on her friend’s face as he tore down any defense the other lawyer could possibly come up with. The little details that Langan didn’t seem to care about were what Rafael would pounce on. She’d seen him do it, been on the receiving end of it a few times herself. “Me, too.”

* * *

After Fin and Rita left, Rafael glanced at his watch and realized how late it had gotten. He began reluctantly making his way towards the door when he felt Olivia grab his wrist. Turning, he looked at her curiously.

“Stay,” she said. “Please?”

“You okay?” he asked, concerned at the tears he saw in her eyes.

“I just keep thinking that if I had just listened to you in the first place, none of this would have happened.”

Rafael pulled her into his arms and held her close. “You can’t think like that, _cariño_. If you didn’t know where she lived, you might not have put two and two together as quickly as you did.”

“I could have lost him forever,” Olivia whispered, letting the tears fall.

“Livia, no,” Rafael replied, cupping her face in his hands and wiping her tears with his thumbs. “We still would have found him, I’m sure of it. It just might have taken a little longer. I didn’t mean to make you think you wouldn’t have.”

“You didn’t. I’m just so relieved that he’s home and I’m so mad at Noah’s school for starting an ACS investigation that led to this whole thing. That’s how she found out about him. I’m mad at her for manipulating me into trusting her and then betraying that trust to take him. As if I would just give up _my son_.”

Rafael moved his hands to her waist and rested his forehead against hers.

“Noah is _your_ son, Livia. Nothing will ever change that.”

“I know. I just feel…I don’t know…stupid, I guess…for worrying about letting him out of my sight now.”

“It’s not stupid,” Rafael assured her. “It’s completely understandable.”

“I know this place has always been home for Noah and me, but part of me doesn’t want to stay here anymore. It feels…tainted?”

“Tainted how?”

“By Sheila Porter’s presence. She’s been in my kitchen, in my living room, in Noah’s room. I don’t want to think about her when I walk into my own apartment.”

“You want to move?”

Olivia smiled as a thought occurred to her. “I don’t know. It would have to be the _right_ place. It would have to have plenty of room for Noah to play. Oh, and better security is definitely a _must have_. You wouldn’t happen to know a place like that, would you?”

Rafael grinned at her as he caught on. “I happen to know of a place that’s already Noah-approved.”

“Really?”

Rafael brushed his lips with hers. “Mm. It has _much better_ security than this place. It’s also bigger, so there’d be _more_ room for him to play.”

Olivia was still smiling as she kissed him again. “Would this Noah-approved place happen to be a Park Ave condo owned by a certain favorite person of mine and Noah’s?”

“It would.”

“Sounds perfect.”

“It’s not too soon? Noah won’t mind?” Rafael asked, suddenly feeling unsure.

“Rafa, Noah _loves_ spending time with you,” Olivia told him.” I meant what I said about not wanting to stay here…and I don’t see the point in moving into a new place for a few months when the only place I want to be is with you. Noah will be _thrilled_ , trust me. But we can talk to him about it in the morning if that will make you feel better.”

“It would, actually.”

“So…stay? Then we can bribe the boy with pancakes in the morning?”

Rafael laughed. “I don’t think we should bribe him, but pancakes sound really good.”

“What about staying?”

“ _Suena perfecto_ ,” Rafael replied, kissing her again before taking her hand and leading her down the hall to her room.


End file.
